With 'Guardians of the Galaxy' set to be a hit, here are some other b-list heroes ripe for movies

By SCOTT ROSENBERGJuly 31, 2014

The "Guardians of the Galaxy" movie hitting theaters on Friday marks perhaps the most obscure comic book team to come to the big screen. And it's tracking to be a huge hit, a surefire blockbuster for Marvel Entertainment that's already been green lit for a sequel.

With that in mind, amNewYork took a look at some other obscure comic book teams from both Marvel and DC Comics that we think could make for awesome cinematic experiences.

Challengers of the Unknown

The Challengers are made up of people who survived a plane crash who are now “living on borrowed time.” With this second chance at life, they face different adventures, from alien attacks to supernatural showdowns.

(Credit: DC Comics)

The Doom Patrol

Kind of like The X-Men, but a whole lot weirder. This team is made up of people who were injured in some way but now — thanks to Dr. Niles Caulder, aka The Chief, a wheelchair bound paraplegic — have different powers with which to fight a bevy of equally odd villains.

The Champions

Marvel Comics

First appearance: “The Champions” no. 1 (Oct. 1975)

Classic roster: Hercules, Black Widow, Angel, Ghost Rider, Iceman

Sometimes it seems like comic book companies make team books with characters they just don’t know what to do with. That might explain how these five characters coming together. You have two mutants from “The X-Men,” a Russian spy, a Greek God and a stunt rider who bonded with a demon, rides a motorcycle and has a glowing skull head. Can you believe this series lasted only 17 issues?

Legion of Monsters

With horror movies making lots of money, this team seems like a no-brainer to bring to the big screen. With a vampire, a werewolf, a shambling swamp creature and a demon biker with a flaming head, this could be just like printing money.

(Credit: Marvel)

Alpha Flight

The preeminent Canadian superhero team in the Marvel Universe, this team is made up of a random set of characters, some of which are what you’d think would be associated with our neighbor to the north, like Sasquatch, who is a doctor who can transform into a giant furry beast, and Puck, a hard-fighting dwarf in a black costume.

Forgotten Heroes

You want obscure? The Forgotten Heroes – a random assortment of characters that you have to assume DC was unsure of what to do with -- was brought together by an immortal man named Immortal Man to fight a team led by another immortal man called, you guessed it, the Forgotten Villains.

(Credit: DC Comics)

Great Lakes Avengers

Once upon a time in Marvel Comics history, the Avengers were on the East Coast in New York City and The West Coast Avengers were in California. There’s still quite a bit of flyover country that needs protecting. In comes the Great Lakes Avengers, stationed in Milwaukee. Played (mostly) for laughs, this team of misfits features characters like Big Bertha, who is a fashion model with the mutant power to make herself strong by becoming obese, and Flatman, who has similar stretching powers to Mr. Fantastic (of the Fantastic Four), but also has the benefit of being two dimensional. Yes, benefits.